Happy holidays, Apple! Santa delivers a patent lawsuit from Nokia

Looking for the holiday spirit? So is Nokia, apparently.

Undeterred by the holiday season, Nokia is suing Apple, and has filed several complaints against the iEmpire in both Germany and the United States. The charge is that Apple has infringed upon Nokia patents, a story with which Apple is only all too familiar. No fewer than 32 patents are involved in this latest lawsuit, and are related to everything from the display to user interface to software.

In a press release of its own, Nokia noted that it has invested over $120 billion in research and development over the last two decades, and owns tens of thousands of patents that cover technology found in smartphones, tablets, computers, and other electronics. But the company is now alleging that Apple has infringed upon some of those patents. “Since agreeing a license covering some patents from the Nokia Technologies portfolio in 2011, Apple has declined subsequent offers made by Nokia to license other of its patented inventions which are used by many of Apple’s products,” the company wrote in its release.

“Through our sustained investment in research and development, Nokia has created or contributed to many of the fundamental technologies used in today’s mobile devices, including Apple products,” said Ilkka Rahnasto, Nokia’s head of patent business, in a statement. “After several years of negotiations trying to reach agreement to cover Apple’s use of these patents, we are now taking action to defend our rights.”

The lawsuits have been filed with the Regional Courts in Dusseldorf, Mannheim, and Munich in Germany. In the U.S., the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is handling the complaints. Nokia is also in the process of filing further actions in other jurisdictions, the company said.